Neck-yoke.



rATENT ornion.

i vcHARLEs B. SCHLE'ICHER, or BRADY, NEBRASKA.

vAmex-ironia l To all whom 'it may concern:-

Be it known that I, CHARLES BSCHLEICHER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Brady, in the county of Lincoln and State of Nebraska,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Neck- Yokes, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to` neck-yokes and tongues for carriages andwagons, and it is the object thereof to provide a simple, durable andconvenient neck-yoke center, or means for connecting the neck-yoke andtongue of the vehicle, by which the yoke and tongue when in use becomingaccidentally disengaged.

A further object of my inventionis to provide a means for reinforcing orstrengthening ythe neck-yoke against transverse stresses.

Constructions embodying my invention are illustrated in the ings, inwhich` Figure 1 is a front in connected position is a detail sideelevation of the'yoke and tongue connecting devices, Fig. 3. is a frontelevation of the same, Fig. 4 is a` rear elevation of the connector bodyand tongue thimble, Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the yoke center-strap,and Fig. 6 is a detail longitudinal section of the end of the yoke.

ln carrying out my invention I provide a wooden yoke 1 of ordinary formand dimensions, which is provided Vat the ends with metal ferrules orthimbles 2. At the center of the yoke a circumferential groove is madetherein in which is placed a metal band 3 of which the end portions 4are turned outwardly and secured together by a rivet 5. The adjoiningfaces of the said end-portions 4 have U-shaped semicircular groovestherein adapted to receive a part of the oval link 6 which is placedtherein, as shown, before the ends of the band are riveted together. Ontheinner side of the band 3, adjoining the inner ends of the portions 4,there is a groove or recess adapted to fit over the rod 7, as shown inFig. 2. The said rod 7 extends longitudinally of the yoke, beingembedded in a groove made in one side thereof, and the ends of the rodare hooked over the ends of the yoke inside the thimbles 2, as shown `inFig. 6 and by elevationiof the yoke Speeication of Letters Patent.

may be prevented from accompanying drawon the tongue, Fig. 2 .rear faceof the ring "von the thimble until the Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

Application filed March 30, 1909. Serial N o. 486,811.

dotted lines in Fig. l. By the engagement of the band 3 with said rod 7the band is prevented from turning upon the yoke.

On the end of the tongue 8 is secured the ferrule or thimble 9 which isprovided with radially extending lips or flanges 10 and 11 disposed onthe upper and lower sides thereof as shown in Fig. 2, the side faces ofthe flanges preferably being substantially parallel with ea-ch other andtangent to the surface of the thimble, and the lower flange being infront of the upper flange by an amount approximately twice the thicknessthereof.Y

The connector body comprises a ring portion 12 adapted to lit over thefront part of the thimble 9, and an upwardly and rearwardly extendingrib portion 13 in which is formed an eye for engagement with the ovallink 6, and from the rearward part of which a lip 14 extends inwardlyand fits around the thimble 4. When the connector body is as shown inFigs. 2 and in normal the thimble 9, the portion 12 engages the frontface of the flange 11, and the front face of the lip 14 engages the rearface of the flange 10, the position being as shown in Fig. 2. In orderto disengage the connector body from the thimble, the body is rotatedlip 14 is disengaged from the flange 10, as indicated by the dotted orengaged position on .lines 1n Fig. 4. The body is then pulledl Vtowardthe front end of the thimble until the lipA 14 engages the flange 11,when it is )again rotated to disengage the lip from the latter flange,

after which the body may be moved directly off. the end of the thimble.In making the connection, the body is held in upright position, the ring12 is passed over the end of the thimble until the lip 14 engages thefront face of the ange 10, the body is then rotated until said lip canpass the flange, then pushed on back until the ring 12 engages theflange 11, after which the body is again rotated to bring the lip 14 upbehind and in engagement with the flange 10.

It will be obvious that while the connector body may be very quickly andeasily taken from and replaced upon the thimble, the movements thereofnecessary to such removal are not such as may be accidentally made whenin use, and hence there is no possibility of the yoke and tongue beingaeeidentally disengaged.

By the flexible connection formed between the link 6 and the eye in therib portion 13 of the connector body, the yoke is permitted to swingfreely with reference to the tongue, as far as is necessary or desirablewhen in use.

In assembling the parts, the oval link 6, which is made open at one end,is heated and passed through the eye in the connector body; the link isthen bent to bring the ends thereof together, and the open end is thenlaid into the grooves in the end portions 4t of the center-band 3, asshown in Fig. 5, after which the said end portions et are closed uponthe link and secured together by the rivet 5.

The rod 7, besides serving to prevent the center-band 3 from turning onthe yoke, acts as a truss to the yoke and very materially strengthensthe saine so that it is less liable to break when subjected to anunusual stress.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Pat ent is:

l. The combination with a neck-yoke and tongue, of a connector bodyfiexibly connected with the yoke, a thimble secured on the tongue,flanges arranged on opposite sides of the thimble and in spacedlongitudinal relation to each other, the connector body having a portionadapted to encircle the thimble and engage the front face of one of theflanges, a portion extending over the other flange, and a lip engagingthe rearward face of the other flange.

2. The combination with a neck-yoke and a body adapted for releasableconnection with a tongue-thimble, said body having an eye formedtherein; of an oval link divided at one end and passed through said eyeto form a flexible connection therewith, a band encircling the yoke atthe center thereof, the end portions of the band being turned outwardlyand having U-shaped grooves therein adapting the same to fit over andinclose the divided end of the oval link, and a singlo rivet connectingsaid end portions of the band to clamp the same upon the link.

The combination with a neck-yoke and tongue, of a link held in fixedrelation to the yoke, a body having an eye connecting with said link, athimble carried by the tongue, flanges arranged on opposite sides ofsaid thimble and in spaced longitudinal relation to each other, the bodyconnected with lthe link having ra portion adapted to encircle thethimble and engage one of the flanges thereon, and a portion adapted forengagement with the opposite face of the other flange, the arrangementbeing such that by alternate rotation and longitudinal movement of thebody upon the thimble the said parts may be connected and disconnected.

4. The combination with a neck-yoke and a body adapted for releasableconnection with a tongue-thimble, of a band iexibly connected with saidbody, the said band encircling the central part of the yoke and havingar transverse groove in the inner face thereof, and a rod extendinglongitudinally of the yoke and partly embedded in a groove therein, thesaid rod extending into the groove in the band for the purposedescribed.

5. The combination with a neck-yoke and end-thimbles thereon, of a bandencircling the central part of the yoke, and a` rod extendinglongitudinally of the yoke, the said rod being partly embedded in agroove in one side of the yoke and passing under the central bandthereon, the said rod and band having interengaging portions whereby therod is held into the groove and the band is prevented from turningrelatively to the rod, and the ends of the rod being hooked around theends of the yoke under the thimbles thereon.

ln testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two witnesses.

CHARLES B. SCHLElCl-TER.

lVitnesses D. O. BARNELL, ROY G. KRA'rz.

